contact MIKE

ABOUT

THE STORY

Singer-songwriter Mike Dunn has been touring the Southeast for years playing his special brand of American Rock n’ Roll. Justin Strout of the Orlando Weekly has recently described Dunn’s new disc Sundowner as “a marvel of foot-stomping narratives that set a specific mood and, most importantly, a sense of place.” Drawing comparisons to Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Jackson Browne, Dunn’s sound evokes the age old quality of a well crafted song sung with heart.

Quickly gaining a reputation as an entertaining live performer Mike Dunn has recently gained a broader audience supporting national artists such as Jakob Dylan of the Wallflowers, Blues Traveler and Dashboard Confessional. Continuing an old fashioned commitment to hard work, professionalism and his growing fan base, Mike is currently touring across the Southeast.

INSTAGRAM

Yesterday I taught my Full Sail University students how to shoot one light portraits because I'm really excited to put myself out of a job. .
Damnit.
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📸: Lorianne Melendez

Steve West (@stevewest + @silverpistonphotography ) is a free man.
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I swung by his shop this past week to check out his process and talk photography for a bit. It's important to find your kindred spirits. Steve is a creative, an art director who played the corporate game and saw enough. Now he does his own thing and he does it well, exactly the way he wants.
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Check out his shop (I'm a proud owner of one of the hobo rings): http://silverpiston.com

Thanks to @stevewest for this quick portrait at his studio. I love making things and I love people that like making things. Steve is one of those people, he’s an artist. The medium doesn’t matter that much; it can be a camera, or a ring, or a canvas. He makes beautiful stuff and there’s more on the way. Take a minute to browse the goods, you’re gonna love it.
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http://silverpiston.com
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Oh yeah, I took some shots of him and his process too. Stay tuned!

I've been a fan of @noahgundersen for a couple years but we only recently connected. Watching him perform in front of a packed house at the legendary @theryman was a pretty ideal setting for a first show. I was lucky enough to grab him for a couple quick portraits afterwards. Looking forward to many more to come. Check out his new record as well as the fantastic @yitcband tunes as fast as you can.

It's been an honor capturing my friends @dashboardconfessional at a couple gigs across the country during the past few weeks. But last night was a special one. They played the legendary Ryman Auditorium to a packed house. Always impressed by their ethic, willingness to grow with their music and their audience, and just being a kick ass rock n' roll band.

Heading up to Nashville this weekend to make various artistic endeavors and some much needed time with good friends. Let's make something together.

Hello friends! I'll be playing some tunes opening up for my friends @tfdifest (@luccadoes , Jay Nash, Matt Duke) tonight at Frosty's Christmastime Lounge. Get there at 7PM, let's share a drink and a good time.

New piece for my friends @dashboardconfessional up now. They're playing the legendary @theryman this Friday with the great @noahgundersen and @amysharkmusic
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TICKETS: bit.ly/DC_Ryman

Earlier this year I spent some time in New York City with two of my good friends. Most of the time when I get asked to do something like this, it's pretty last minute but I'm usually ok rolling that way. Especially in a place like New York the days move really quickly and you just need to keep the camera rolling. We even found ourselves in the most transformative experiences I've had all year, Sleep No More (I could talk your ear off about that one.) @jasonpaulmichaels has been a friend and collaborator for the past year over at @standardmotorcycleco but this was really my introduction to @nobody_tattoos and I'm so glad I could use what I do to showcase how talented both of those guys are. Watching this now a couple months down the road it reminds me how much better we are when we do things together.
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@jasonpaulmichaels + @nobody_tattoos // @indianmotorcycle + @inkedmag

When I talk about photography with a lot of folks, especially in the commercial world, a lot it has to do with really getting things right. The right angle, lighting, aperature, shutter speed, iso, model, pose, tack sharp focus. And they become items to check off a list.
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Learning how to shoot on digital has so many benefits, you can understand your mistakes and correct them right away. I currently have 28,000 photos in my library, and I'm sure I've deleted twice as many. If you estimate each photo at a dollar a piece, well, you get the point.
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Last week I got a fun, and impossibly difficult, instant camera. I've made a ton of fun mistakes with it already. If you know either my teaching or learning process, you'd know I LOVE being bad at something, truly. If you're really trying it usually means you're learning. I am very much looking forward to adding to this collection, making more mistakes, and less checking items off of lists.